Spending and group size on the up for Audley Travel

The company has also detected more interest in luxury train trips, as well as “beach plus” breaks where a beach stay is combined with a cultural or activity-based tour.

Audley said the “intent to travel” from clients was continuing to increase in its latest survey with 75% of people planning to travel in the next 12 months, with the most popular destinations for 2022 being North America, Japan, Tanzania and New Zealand.

Clients are also spending more and booking longer trips to make up for their inability to travel during much of the Covid-19 pandemic. The average value of holidays booked in 2021 has gone up by 9.4% on 2019 levels.

Group sizes are on the rise for Audley’s bookings this year – increasing from an average of 2.4 passengers two years ago to 2.6 people in 2021. Clients are also looking for “more space and private facilities” for multi-generational family reunions or group trips.

Audley added that while it saw a “steep” increase in beach-only bookings a year ago, there was now more demand for combining a beach holiday with a cultural touring experience, particularly in destinations such as Thailand and Kenya.

Luxury rail is also becoming more popular with 81% saying they were “likely” to consider a train-based holiday for their next break – up from 76% at the end of 2020.

Audley has seen an increase in rail itineraries being booked across destinations including Europe, Africa, southeast and central Asia, as well as the US.